Sydney Crafts ✨ What I Learned from Visiting 3 Creative Studios

When I hopped on the plane to Sydney, I wasn’t just chasing sunshine (though there was plenty of that). I wanted to spend a few days exploring how other creatives host their workshops — and to see what I could learn, both for myself and for the members inside the Crafts Workshops Academy.

First Stop: Studio Inner West

My first stop in Sydney was a small but mighty studio run by Lucy, a young creative who has carved out her own space in the Inner West of Sydney. What struck me most wasn’t the size or polish of the studio (it’s not at the level of Crockd’s big-brand experience), but the variety on offer. From different resin projects to crochet and even dice-making! Lucy runs an impressive calendar of workshops across different crafts with a few helpers.

✨ Learnings: Offering a diverse range of workshops can be a strength, especially when you’re still building a name in your community. Variety gives people more entry points to discover you, while also allowing you to test what resonates most with your audience.

Second Stop: Crockd Neutral Bay

Next, I made my way to Neutral Bay for a ceramic painting workshop with Crockd. Their slogan — “get out of your head and into your hands” — sets the expectation of a calming, grounding experience. And in many ways, the session delivered: the energy was fun, the atmosphere was social, and people were excited to dive into their pieces.

Because Crockd operates at scale, many of their decisions are highly systematized: from the step-by-step structure to the timing of each part of the workshop. That’s necessary when you’re running sessions across multiple studios with different facilitators, I get it, but it also came at a cost.

In our two-hour session, only about an hour was spent painting. There was a 15-minute introduction, then the clear glaze had to be applied in multiple layers, which ate into creative time. The pace felt rushed — not just for me, but for others too. The two girls in front of me (who had brought back pieces they’d made in a previous session) were visibly stressed. One even broke her piece in the rush, and the other didn’t have time to finish painting hers.

What really stood out to me was how different the reality of a scaled workshop can feel compared to an intimate, one-off event. All things considered, what they built is amazing!! The workshop was packed and it was a lot of fun. 

✨ Educational snippet: As you grow and standardize your workshops, it’s easy to lose some of the “magic” that drew people in the first place. Balance is key — scaling requires systems, but those systems need to leave space for the very transformation you promise attendees.

Third Stop: Crockd Bondi (Glow in the Dark!)

My final stop was Crockd Bondi, where I tried their glow-in-the-dark wheel throwing. On paper, it sounds like a wild twist — clay + glow paint + a darkened room. And it definitely created a fun, playful vibe that appealed to people who might not usually sign up for a pottery class.

But once we got started, I realized the “glow” element was more about atmosphere than craft. The actual throwing was the same as any beginner wheel class, and the glow paint — applied after shaping the clay — burned off in the kiln, so it didn’t affect the final piece at all. For me, having done wheel throwing before, it wasn’t a totally new experience, and I knew how tricky centering clay can be. But for others in the room, especially first-timers, it was exciting and different.

✨ Educational snippet: Sometimes, what brings people in isn’t the craft itself but the way it’s packaged. A glow-in-the-dark theme (or other creative spin) can lower the intimidation factor for beginners and turn a workshop into a memorable night out. For seasoned crafters, though, the depth comes from the craft itself rather than the novelty.

What I Took Away

Every workshop taught me something new. Some lessons were about the power of space, others about brand identity, and others about pushing the boundaries of creativity.

What struck me most is that there isn’t one “right” way to host. Some hosts thrive through variety, others through scale, and others by leaning into novelty. As long as the approach is aligned with your audience, your brand, and your resources, it can work.

These are just small snippets of what I observed. Inside the Crafts Workshop Academy, I’ve put together full case studies from each of these workshops, breaking down their strengths, opportunities, and the practical lessons you can apply to your own business.

If you’re curious about running workshops that not only sell out but leave people raving, the Academy is where I unpack it all.